The book, “The Rifle” does not disappoint the reader from its opening remarks to its conclusion. The real first-hand accounts of diverse citizen soldiers, sailors, airman, and marines from across the service sectors and throughout the battlefields of WW II provides a vivid account of how our diversity is indeed one of the great traits that makes America such a special place with such special everyday people. The book’s concept is unique, in providing an artifact that’s iconic to that period of our military history to those who would have trained and fought with it, seemingly did exactly what the book’s author intended; namely to trigger those strong yet far too often suppressed memories, feelings, and the context in which they found themselves in the struggle of their lives. A struggle that is intensely personal, yet profoundly important to how our world was shaped for the better, indeed saving us as a people from evil tyrannical rulers with twisted ideologies and horrific practices against both their own citizens and against the citizens of other sovereign nations. This book is outstanding at providing that first-person “I was there” narrative that really cuts to the heart of why we fight.